Walmart (NYSE:WMT) approaches kids to help them take their pick

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) – the multinational retail corporation that has many chains of large department stores as well as warehouses by the name of Sams Club – is situated in 27 countries with over 11000 chains, with 55 different names. According to Fortune Global 500 – 2014, Walmart (NYSE:WMT) is the world’s largest public corporation.

Taking pride in being the biggest retailers in the world, Walmart (NYSE:WMT) keeps on surprising us with little tidbits about what customers are buying and what’s popular? According to Walmart (NYSE:WMT), they sell more bananas than anything else on offer at their store. Last year’s Black Friday sales revealed that the most sold commodity was towels!

Regardless of unlimited sales data, Walmart (NYSE:WMT) still turned to a unique focus group consisting of a 1000 kids, aiming to determine the best-selling toy for the holidays. Children ranging between 18 months and 10 years were bought together in Dallas and were presented with up to 80 different types of toys for this particular research. The parents of these lucky toy testers were awarded gift cards as appreciation for letting their kids participate in the research.

Last year WalMart (NYSE:WMT) conducted a similar exercise and made note of children’s top 20 favourites which was sent to the stores as priority information for stocking up. These most desired items were given a special spot on the shelves with a label emphasizing that they were “Chosen by Kids” and not WalMart (NYSE:WMT) officials and executives. Anne Kehoe, the vice president of the Toys Department at Walmart US (NYSE:WMT), suggested that shoppers find the advice of kids more human than the company telling them whats best, which is always skeptic to buyers.

After last year’s success it only made sense to use the same approach the second time round. However Kehoe has refrained from commenting on which toys were most popular last year; did the kids make right predictions or did the WalMart (NYSE:WMT) analysis data won? What she did say however was that the same results were expected this year around as well.

Crafts are the most growing toy among kids currently, with the Spin Master Sew Cool Sewing Machine leading sales number, priced at $34.97. It has no thread, bobbins, needles or foot pedal and stresses on no skill being required to use and create. Next comes the Make Your Case Cell Phone Cover Kit, priced at $24.97, which is targeted at 8 year olds. At the third place is the Beados Quick Dry Design Station for $19.97.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) has also kept a collection of popular movie and TV characters piled up for the holiday season already which included Jakks Snow Glow Elsa Doll costing $39.97. The most expensive yet highly desired toy this holiday will be the Razor Crazy Cart Spinning Go Kart, priced at $349.99, kids can do up to 12 miles per hour. Among the favourites were also a Remote-control flying car at $54.86 and a Barbie glamping set for $81.58. Surprisingly, not a single Lego!